Loui Eriksson took the ice with his Bruins teammates for morning skate at Nassau Coliseum Saturday, marking the first time he’s stated since suffering a concussion last Wednesday against the Sabres.

Morning skates are non-contact and are usually a good opportunity for teams to get rehabbing players back on the ice with the rest of the team. Claude Julien had said Friday that Eriksson had passed the exertion test required to begin working out.

Johnny Boychuk, who is day-to-day after crashing into the boards in the second period Thursday against the Ducks, was not on the ice Saturday.

WILMINGTON — The Bruins delivered some good news on the Loui Eriksson front Friday, as coachClaude Julien said that Eriksson, who has been out with a concussion since last Wednesday, passed the exertion test required to begin working out.

Eriksson has yet to begin skating and isn’t expected to until next week at the earliest, but the fact that he’s progressing is obviously a good sign.

“That’s still a day-to-day process,” Julien said of Eriksson’s progress. “Whether he keeps moving forward or whether we have to hold him back, we’ll only know one day at a time.”

Eriksson suffered his concussion on a headshot from Sabres forward John Scott. The league suspended Scott seven games for the hit.

Sabres forward John Scott has been suspended seven games for his illegal check to the head of Bruins forward Loui Eriksson last Wednesday, the Department of Player Safety announced Thursday.

Scott had already served three games prior to his in-person hearing Thursday, so he will miss the Sabres’ next four games and be eligible to return Nov. 8 against the Ducks. He will forfeit $26,923.05 of salary over the course of his suspension. This is the first time the 6-foot-8 Scott has received supplemental discipline for a hit.

Eriksson suffered a concussion on the hit and has yet to resume skating since the play. The injury was taken into consideration when determining Scott’s punishment.

WILMINGTON — Loui Eriksson wasn’t on the ice Monday and won’t be for the time being, but he was at Ristuccia Arena to see his teammates.

Eriksson, who is dealing with a concussion suffered last Wednesday on an elbow to the head from John Scott, isn’t expected to be back on the ice for at least another week, Claude Julien said. Given the uncertainty that surround concussions, it could be longer.

“The good news is that he did show up this morning,” Julien said, “and that’s usually good news when a guy can come in and leave his home and come to the rink.

‘We’re taking it day by day with him. I think you’re probably not going to see him in the next week. He’s not going to skate for the next week, so we’re at that stage right now.’

Scott will have his in-person hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety Tuesday, where his suspension will be decided. Scott has already missed two games and will miss a third Monday.

The Bruins’ big splash on the first day of free agency was Jarome Iginla, but that came after a player they had targeted signed with the Devils. That player was former Canadien, Bruin, Star and Canadien (again) Michael Ryder, whose decision reportedly came down to offers from the Bruins and Devils.

“We had a couple conversations back and forth with my agent, but I decided to end up coming to Jersey,” Ryder, who is in town with his new team, said Saturday. “It just seemed like a good fit for me. Lou [Lamoriello] and them were really excited and told me the opportunity I’d get here. I just thought it was the best fit.”

That isn’t the only reason. Ryder, who spent three seasons with the Bruins from 2008-2011 and was third on the B’s with eight playoff goals during their 2011 Stanley Cup run, wasn’t thrilled with the way things ended between he and the Bruins.

After the B’s won the Stanley Cup, Ryder was interested in returning, but was told by the B’s to test free agency and see what he could get. He did just that and took a two-year, $7 million deal with the Stars.

‘I think if they wanted to keep me, they probably would have tried to sign me [after the 2010-11 season],’ Ryder said last season when he was in town with the Habs.

The 33-year-old forward reiterated that Saturday, saying that the Bruins had the chance to sign him years ago and didn’t.

“Once I left here, after we won the Cup, I thought I might have a shot of coming back then, but it didn’t really happen,” he said. “We didn’t really talk.”

As such, Ryder said he was “definitely” surprised to hear from the Bruins this summer. He didn’t say he was less inclined to sign with the Bruins because of how things had ended after 2010-11, but he did say that he had put the B’s in his past.

“You move on, and it’s part of the business,” he said. “That’s just the way it is. I ended up in Dallas, which was great, and then last year I ended up getting traded back to Montreal. This year, I’m here in Jersey. It’s part of the game, and the way the hockey world works I guess.”

Another interesting fact about Michael Ryder and the Bruins? He was a linemate of both Tyler Seguin and Loui Eriksson, who were traded for one another this summer. Ryder assisted Seguin’s first NHL goal and was his linemate for much of Seguin’s rookie season before teaming up with Eriksson and the Stars.

Ryder said he was surprised to see the Bruins move on from Seguin after three seasons with the team, acknowledging, as many have, that Seguin and the B’s may not have been the best fit for one another.

“He was their first pick, and it’s always surprising to see someone go,” Ryder said. “Tyler’s still a young kid and [with the fit] here, I guess they decided that it was time to move on. I played with Loui also in Dallas. The two of those are great players, and maybe it’s good for Tyler to get a good start somewhere. He’s doing well so far and he’s going to do well. He’s that type of player.

“He’s got a lot of speed and can shoot the puck and stuff,” Ryder added of Seguin. “He’s going to be a star in this league, and it’s just about when he got the opportunity. I guess they thought it wasn’t a good fit for him here. Hopefully in Dallas it works out for him.”

Milan Lucic and Torey Krug each had a pair of goals Wednesday as the Bruins beat the Sabres, 5-2, at First Niagara Center. The night was a mix of good and bad, however, as a cheap shot from John Scott in the third period knocked Loui Eriksson out of the game.

A Jarome Iginla shot from the high slot bounced off Lucic’s leg and past Ryan Miller at 11:01 of the first period to make it 1-0, with Lucic scoring his second of the night early in the second. Cody Hodgson got the Sabres on the board, but Dougie Hamilton‘s second goal of the season made it 3-1 before Nikita Zadorov beatChad Johnson on a soft goal to bring the Sabres within one.

The teams headed into the period at 3-2, but Krug widened Boston’s lead with a pair of goals, the second of which came on the power play following Scott’s late hit to the head of Eriksson. Scott was given a game misconduct, while Eriksson spent the night at the team hotel in Buffalo, with Peter Chiarelli saying he was expected to return to Boston Thursday.

WHAT WENT RIGHT FOR THE BRUINS

– The Bruins’ first line of David Krejci between Lucic and Jarome Iginla was very strong Wednesday. Iginla played a major role in both of Lucic’s goals, as he fired a shot from the high slot that went off Lucic and past Miller in the first (he was initially credited with the goal) and then set up Lucic’s second goal just 40 seconds into the second period. Iginla still has no goals on the season, but you have to like the complete package of what he’s brought so far.

Lucic now has five goals on the season through eight games this season. Remember, he scored just seven in 46 games last season.

– Hamilton has two goals in the last three games since being re-inserted into the lineup. The B’s sat Hamilton for two games in a row last week, and though he was rather sloppy defensively in his first game back against the Panthers, he’s been able to provide the B’s with some offensive punch from the back end. Hamilton had multiple scoring opportunities Wednesday, as he ran out of room on a first-period partial break before scoring later on a 2-on-1.

– One of the few questions regarding Krug is his size, but he was playing like a much taller man Wednesday. He was physical in dealing with guys in front in the Bruins zone, while he outbattled Drew Stafford in front on his first goal of the night.

WHAT WENT WRONG FOR THE BRUINS

– Scott’s place in the league has long frustrated hockey fans, and the very tall and barely talented enforcer showed why when he took a cheap shot at Eriksson in the neutral zone in the third period. After Eriksson had dumped the puck in at center ice, Scott hit him in the head, not quite getting him with the elbow but following through with the hit. He had to answer to Adam McQuaid afterward.

– Johnson wasn’t spectacular after a long wait to get some regular-season game action. He kept the Sabres off the board in a first period in which he wasn’t challenged much, but the Sabres’ second goal was a softy. Krug did a fine job of taking the forward in front of the net out of the play, so Zadorov had Johnson’s undivided attention with the angle cut down and still beat him.

By DJ Bean | Comments Off on Reilly Smith making quick progress with Bruins

SUNRISE, Fla. — When the Bruins made their blockbuster trade with the Stars on July 4, Loui Eriksson appeared to be the only top-six forward they were getting in return. Five games into the season, Reilly Smith would beg to differ.

While the move is probably viewed more as a Brad Marchand demotion than a Smith promotion, Claude Julien has moved Marchand to the third line and Smith up toPatrice Bergeron‘s line in the third period Saturday against Columbus, giving the 22-year-old a lot more responsibility in the process. Julien has trusted Smith with some important minutes the last two games, most notably when Smith and Bergeron’s line played against Pavel Datsyuk‘s line on Monday. The lines were unchanged Wednesday, meaning you can expect Smith to stick on the second line for at least another game.

“He’s a young player, and what I see in this player is he seems to be getting better all the time with confidence,” Julien said Wednesday of Smith. “You see his skill level is pretty good. His hockey sense and his vision is also pretty good. I think we’re going to discover that this guy’s only going to get better as he progresses and gets more experience.

“I think he’s got the ability to possibly be a guy that can move up there, whether it’s permanently or at times. He’s got that skill level. No matter what, he’s a good player and I like the way he plays. He’s conscientious and very reliable for a player that has more or less limited experience in this league.”

The move also reunites Smith with Eriksson, with whom he played last season in Dallas, as the two were linemates for a couple of weeks last season. In fact, Eriksson assisted Smith’s first career goal. Smith returned the favor Saturday in Columbus, when, in his first period playing with him this season, he assisted Eriksson’s first goal as a Bruin.

Smith recalls his time as Eriksson’s linemate last season fondly, saying that Eriksson’s a very easy linemate to have. It hasn’t been perfect so far — Smith should have broken up Datsyuk’s pass to Henrik Zetterberg on Detroit’s first goal Saturday, but the offensive results have been, as Eriksson has scored in both games. Though the Bruins probably don’t have long-term designs of Marchand being a third-line player, the Smith-Eriksson combo is at least something they know can work for them.

“They know each other well,” Julien said. “It’s obvious that they’ve been together before and that they know each other a little bit better than we know them.”